Viola trinervata
Viola palustris
3-nerve violet, desert pansy, Rainier or sagebrush or three-nerve violet, Rainier violet, sagebrush violet, three-nerve violet
alpine marsh violet, marsh violet, northern marsh or marsh or swamp or alpine marsh violet, northern marsh violet, violette des marais
1–4, decumbent, ascending, or erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous, from single, vertical, deep-seated caudex.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–7, palmately compound, leaflets 3–5;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, unlobed, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute;
petiole 4.5–15 cm, glabrous;
blade reniform or ovate to ± orbiculate, 2–5 × 2.5–5 cm, coriaceous, base tapered, leaflets cleft or dissected into 2–3 elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate lobes 2–7 mm wide, margins usually entire, eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous (± glaucous), abaxial surface usually with prominent vein parallel to each margin;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate;
petiole 1–5.5 cm;
blade 1–3 × 2–4.5 cm.
basal, 2–4, ascending to erect;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;
petiole 1–17 cm, glabrous;
blade unlobed, reniform or ovate to orbiculate, 0.5–6.4 × 0.5–5.5 cm, ± as long as wide, base cordate, margins crenulate, eciliate, apex obtuse to acuminate, surfaces glabrous.
1.1–7 cm, glabrous.
2–20.7 cm, glabrous, bracteoles usually below middle in chasmogamous flowers.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0–1 mm;
petals: upper 2 often overlapping, dark reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 lilac, rarely white, lateral 2 bearded, with yellow patch basally and reddish violet patch distal to yellow patch, lowest 9–15 mm with yellow patch, dark reddish violet-veined, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.6–1.5 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.
sepals ovate or lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;
petals lilac, pale blue, or pale violet on both surfaces, sometimes nearly white and tinged with lilac, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 dark violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded or beardless, lowest 8–16 mm, spur usually same color as petals, gibbous, 1–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on ascending peduncles.
ovoid, 7–12 mm, glabrous.
ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous.
tan, 3.2–4.5 mm.
dark brown, 1–2 mm.
= 48.
Viola trinervata
Viola palustris
In some populations of Viola trinervata the lower three petals are white with a yellow area proximally (V. B. Baird 1942).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Viola palustris occurs in small colonies; individual plants are interconnected by stolons. When flowering, usually three or more leaves are present per caudex.
M. Sorsa (1968) noted that in western North America Viola palustris specimens differ from European V. palustris plants and often show variation in character combinations. She stated (pers. comm.) that North American V. palustris is not a uniform entity.
E. Hultén (1968) synonymized Viola palustris with V. epipsila, as did W. J. Cody (2000). G. W. Douglas et al. (1998–2002, vol. 5) recognized both species. We assume that V. palustris does not occur in Alaska; verification is needed. See additional discussion under 18a. V. epipsila var. repens.
M. Sorsa (1968) indicated that Viola palustris var. brevipes has often been confused with V. blanda and that var. brevipes may have arisen from hybridization between a tetraploid and a diploid plant. Listed here in synonymy, var. brevipes may warrant recognition.
Reports of Viola palustris from one location in Coconino County, Arizona, first collected in 1962, likely refer to V. macloskeyi.
Viola palustris hybridizes with V. epipsila var. repens (M. Sorsa 1968; T. Marcussen and T. Karlsson 2010).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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